Improvement in door-catches for railroad cars



-C. GRAHAM.

lmprovement in Door-Catches for Railroad-"Cars.

" N 125, 0 PatentedApriHGJBTZ m I v III/I/I/ CHARLES GRAHAM, OFKINGSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN DOOR-CATCHES FOR RAILROAD CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,808, dated April16, 1872.

Specification describing an improved Door- Oatch for Railroad Oars,invented by CHARLES GRAHAM, of Kingston, in the county of Luzerne andState of Pennsylvania.

This invention consists in the combination of ahook-ended leverlikecatch pivoted within a shell, which is to be secured to the floor of thecarand is actuated by a spring; with a roller supported in a suitablebearing-piece, which is to be secured to the lower part of the door,whereby a very cheap and efiective catch is produced which is automaticin its operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of the door-catch,showing it applied. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of thesame; and Fig. 3 is a plan thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A is a case or shell, within which the catch D is secured. This shell isopen at its one end and adjacent portion of its top, and also at thebottom, with the exception of a strap or cross'piece, f, and is providedwith lugs a a, by means of screws, passing through which the shell issecured to the floor F of the car, behind the door G, in such positionthat the door, when opened, shall come in contact with the catch B. Thecatch is pivoted into this shell by a pin or pivot, b, so that itsforward end projects through the open end of the shell, which ispresented toward the open door. The under side of this catch is or maybe straight throughout its length, but on the upper side of itsprojecting end there is a hook, 0, some distance in rear of which thereis a projection, d. E is a spring, bent double and secured in place by apin, g. One end rests on the strap or cross-piecef in the shell and theother bears against the forward portion of the bolt B. O is a frame orbearing-piece, in which a roller, D, is supported. It is provided withlugs e e, which are secured by means of screws to the lower portion ofthe door, in such position relatively to the catch B that the hook 0 mayhook under it. The hook. is so formed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thatits point will not lap the roller D above the center, and hence that itwill never make an absolutely positive catch, but will slip from underthe roller when force enough is applied to the door to overcome theeffect of upward pressure of the spring.

This door-catch is entirely automatic in its operation, for, as the doorswings open, the roller comes in contact with the rounded latchlike endof the hook, and pressing against it forces it down, and as soon as theroller passes the point of the hook 0 the catch is sprung up by thespring E, and the hook holds the roller and prevents the door fromshutting. To shut the door it is only necessary to pull the doorforcibly, and the roller, bearing against the back of the hook, forcesthe bolt down so that the roller can pass over the hook, and the door isthen free to shut.

Claim. 3

I The combination of the hook'e nded leverlike catch B, arranged withinthe shell A and actuated by a spring, E, with the roller 1), supportedin theframe O, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

CHAS. GRAHAM.

Witnesses W. H. S UAREY, R. A. HntronIsoN.

